ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif.–Credit Union of Southern California (CU SoCal) has donated $10,000 to YMCA of Greater Whittier to help the Y provide meals to children who would normally get two meals at school. Because school is not in session at this time, many of these children and families are going without meals.
"Whittier is our home, our community, and so when we heard there was a need, we knew what we had to do,” said CU SoCal Vice President of Business and Talent Development Melissa Manning.
The YMCA has served more than 2,500 meals to children between the ages of 1-18 since it expanded its program on March 16, according to Executive Director of Financial Development Adrienne Gibson.
She called the CU SoCal donation “a gift of hope for our families who are trying to tackle hurdle after hurdle during this very uncertain time.”
The gift was made possible through CU SoCal's Helping Hands program, which was founded in 1997 by CU SoCal employees. The vision of CU SoCal Helping Hands is to provide Southern California’s underprivileged and impoverished families with the basic necessities of life, treating them with dignity and respect, the credit union said. The program provides food, clothing, and financial assistance to families in need, and supports other charitable organizations in Southern California. In 2019, Helping Hands donated more than $100,000 to local charities and schools, $43,000 of which came directly from CU SoCal employee donations.
At right, YMCA of Greater Whittier Executive Director of Financial Development Adrienne Gibson with $10,000 donation.